Part of the fun of my dystopian months is getting to read and review new dystopian lit months ahead of time. I thought a little reminder post was in order...because now you can actually buy these books or borrow them from the library!
The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Fifteen-year-old West Grayer's number is up and she has one month to kill or be killed, but a tragic accident makes West question if she's really the best version of herself ...
WHAT'S LEFT OF ME by Kat Zhang - September 2012
Summary:
Addie and Eva share a body in an world where everyone is born with two souls. At a young age, the recessive soul is supposed to fade away, but Eva clings to life - a risky existence in a world where hybrids are considered dangerous.
What I said then:
"As the sister trapped in a body she can no longer control, Eva narrates the sisters harrowing story. Her voice is what makes this novel work so well. There are no easy answers in this compelling exploration of sisterly bonds, government oppression and the right to life."
What I said then:
"As the sister trapped in a body she can no longer control, Eva narrates the sisters harrowing story. Her voice is what makes this novel work so well. There are no easy answers in this compelling exploration of sisterly bonds, government oppression and the right to life."
Read my entire review
Summary:
When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have been cursed with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control. Now she's 16, and she can't hide any longer that she's one of the dangerous ones ...
"I’m not always a fan of integrating paranormal abilities into real-world dystopians (I prefer “realistic” dystopians, lol), but Bracken does a great job of showing how terrifying it would be to suddenly have these strange (and amazing) abilities. The way Ruby is portrayed is absolutely consistent with how I imagine someone in her position would develop."
YESTERDAY by CK Kelly Martin - September 2012
Summary:
It's 1985. Freya Kallas has just moved across the world and into a new life. She tries to fit into her new school, but things feel off. When Freya lays eyes on Garren Lowe, she can't get him out of her head. She's sure that she knows him, despite his insistence that they've never met. As Freya follows her instincts and pushes towards hidden truths, the two of them unveil a strange and dangerous world where their days may be numbered.
What I said then:
"YESTERDAY has “Lenore book” written all over it. It contains so many elements that I love (most are spoilers, sadly). It defies easy genre classification and if you were to go into this story entirely pure and unspoiled, you wouldn’t even want to remember that I featured it during Dystopian August."
BETA by Rachel Cohn - October 2012
Elysia is a clone of a sixteen year old girl on the island paradise of Demesne. Because of the special air on the island that makes humans relaxed and happy, Demesne has long used clones for all of its service jobs, but they've all been adult. Elysia is one of the first teenage clones, a beta, created to serve as a companion for some lucky family on the island. But there are cracks in paradise, and Elysia soon finds out about a secret clone rebellion ...
What I said then:
What I said then:
"BETA has some good twists, and even though I did see them coming, I still thought they worked well in the context of the story. The plot doesn't really kick in until about halfway through (until then, it's a lot of excellent world exploration - worthy of a Zombie Chicken Merit Badge for Worldbuilding)."
Read my entire review
Read my entire review
CREWEL by Gennifer Albin - October 2012
Summary:
Adelice lives in the world of Arras, where Spinsters weave time with matter. Though she tries to hide her talent, Alelice slips up during her testing and is taken from her family to a Coventry to serve as a Spinster.
What I said then:
"To take such a fantastic concept (everything that exists is woven into the tapestry of life - and can also be unwoven and restitched) and make it so tangible to the reader is an amazing feat. Creepy and clever."
THE DARKEST MINDS by Alexandra Bracken - December 2012
Summary:
When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have been cursed with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control. Now she's 16, and she can't hide any longer that she's one of the dangerous ones ...
What I said then:
DUALED by Elsie Chapman - Coming February 26, 2013
Summary:
The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Fifteen-year-old West Grayer's number is up and she has one month to kill or be killed, but a tragic accident makes West question if she's really the best version of herself ...
What I said then:
"The kids killing kids angle is very reminiscent of THE HUNGER GAMES, but I think DUALED does enough differently to mark its own territory outside the HG box. I felt utter revulsion for some of West’s actions (which I suspect is how the author wanted me to feel) and I know this could be a problem for readers who insist on sympathetic characters. Overall, I’m very excited about the premise of the DUALED series in general and can’t wait to read more!"
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5 comments:
I don't think of myself as a dystopian reader, but I've read and loved three of these and have one more on my wishlist.
You listed quite a few interesting sounding novels. Thanks for posting these. I'll be keeping my eye out and seeing which ones I can get a hold of. :)
Thanks for the list, I love dystopian books.
What a good idea! If only I'd thought of it.
I LOVED Crewel & What's Left of Me. They were both so original and had great world building. All the others are on my need-to-read list.
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